Peaks and Valleys

Original Project Proposal

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PROJECT DESCRIPTION

 

 

Peaks and Valleys is intended to be a story-driven, thriller game in Virtual Reality. The story has not been thought out too far because that is not the primary focus for the Senior Innovation Project. However, the gist is that the main character is stuck in a hospital room for a number of nights that they character has to survive. The character is in the hospital because of an existing heart condition, as well as some minor burns. This is why she/he is attached to the heart rate monitor, that will serve as the player’s entire user interface. The player does not know at the start of the game but the character is a frequent smoker and accidentally left a lit cigarette out and burnt down her/ his apartment building. Nearly everyone made it out besides the main character’s kid, who the character now has to face in the hospital and the amount of drugs he/she is on is not helpful, making it hard to tell the difference between what is real and what is not. The character has to survive a week in the hospital while stuck inside a hospital room for the most part.

The Character has to overcome his/her grief by apologize to the child for what the character has done and forgiving herself/himself over the loss of his/her child. That is the only way the character’s child will stop haunting him/her and they can both be at peace. The player will uncover little clues as the game progresses to fully understand what the character has done, who the character is and who the child is.

The more important part, the innovative part, to Peaks and Valleys is the unique integrated GUI, NOW IN VIRTUAL REALITY. Instead of a generic user interface that most games have for health and collectables. The integrated graphic user interface will be in the form of a mobile heart rate monitor with IV bags hanging from it, this is also called an Infusion Pump Monitor Telemetry System. This monitor will stand next to the player out of view but always be at their side. The player must manually look at the monitor to interact with it. However, it should be noted that the player becomes more vulnerable to enemies while looking at the monitor for extended periods of time. Collectibles like pills and shots must be collected throughout the game in order to keep a steady heart rate, because if the character’s heart rate gets too high or drops too low they flatline. The game is definitely in Virtual Reality as that is key to the game’s innovation.

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USAGE SCENARIO

 

 

This machine will serve as the players only tool and user interface. The player must always lug around this monitor so that he can access the user interface, without it the player dies. In fact the player must keep up high maintenance of the machine or he dies. If the player’s heart rate gets too fast or too slow, game over. The player’s heart rate rises when “scared”, takes adrenaline or runs. The player’s heart rate drops when too many pills are taken or his fluid levels get too low. This means that the player has to interact with the monitor to keep a balanced heart rate.

The options to slow heart rate down are to take Rythmol pills or to rest (stop moving, this is bad because the ghost child is after you). The options to speed up heart rate are to take adrenaline shots/pills or run (the player can only run so long until fatigued or exhausted). Taking too many pills and/or shots in rapid succession will kill the player from an overdose. The player also will only have a set amount of  pills, shots and IV fluid bags each night so they will have to use them sparingly. The player can only last so long without changing out his IV fluid bag. The player will escape from his/her room on the last night to travel the halls. During this instance the player will have to search for the medicine to keep moving and to stay alive. With all of the said, while interacting with the heart rate monitor the player becomes more vulnerable because it makes more sounds and alerts the child, so it is key to only use it when you have too. To help with this, the player will also have to rely on the sound of the heart rate monitor as it will change as the player’s heart rate gets too fast or too low. The player should be able to hear when they have an irregular heart rate, so they know just when to look at it. There will obviously need to be balancing.

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STUDENT ROLE

  

 

Since I am an artist and the lead for this project my roles will include completing nearly every objective. This ranges from creating the art assets, such as environment, characters, enemies, collectables, etc. to coming up with the plot and direction for the project. The only part I will be unable to do is the programming side. I do have someone in mind that could be my programmer, we have talked about the project and he is on it. That would make my team a max of two people. (most likely) If this SIP gets carried on then my team is sure to grow by at least 2 or 3.

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EVALUATION CRITERIA

 

The innovation for this game does not really touch the art side of things as much as it does for the programming side, however, it is something new to be in a game, at least anything that got somewhat popular. This project should be evaluated on three levels: innovation functionality and fun. I will be in charge of fun and the programmer will be more in charge of innovation and functionality, but still helping with fun of course. Other than that I am not sure what “evaluation criteria” is.

 

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INTENDED METHODOLOGY, DATA & MATERIAL

 

 

I will be mostly using 3DS Max and Maya as well as photoshop. The engine we will build the game in will be up to the programmer. If he does not have a prefered engine, we will work in Unity. (He works in Unity.) I will have to research into the medical field to learn terms, different types of pills, all of the different things that are monitored on a heart rate monitor and how things look inside of a hospital, how other horror games look and work, ideas for UI design and functionality, and how VR works quite extensively.

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PROJECT OBJECTIVES

 

 

First off will be to connect with the programmer and set up a legit time frame with him because the project is more programming heavy. I will take care of all of the models, textures, and design elements as the programmer creates the game functionality. I have already explained these things but i'll do it again. Art assets include the environment, characters, enemies, collectables (drugs, pills, shots, fluid bags, etc), interactables (doors, heart rate monitor, other pickups), animations, textures, sounds and anything else I come up with as filler assets. Functions include assigning keys or buttons, triggers, running, walking, “scared” effect, interactions, AI, pill effects, shot effects, IV fluid bag effects, when and how the player dies, sounds, heart rate high and low triggers, pickup and whatever else we come up with.

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EXPECTED OUTCOMES

 

 

At the end of 6-8 months I expect to have a polished prototype of my game Peaks and Valleys. This prototype will include a basic level, which will most likely be a set of hallways and rooms in a hospital, a main character model, the mobile heart rate monitor modeled and functioning appropriately towards being “scared” and or exhausted from running, pop up enemies to “scare” the player, collectables that will either lower or heighten the player’s in-game heart rate back to normal, and probably implement sounds of walking, running, hyperventilation, wheezing, gasps, screeches, yells, and background music that alerts the player about what is near him.

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